A Case of Vengeance
by Cel Sopiro
Summary: Team Dark investigates a case after a predictable gem goes predictably missing.
1. Chapter 1

_Disclaimer: I don't own Sonic the Hedgehog or any of the characters in the franchise._

* * *

G.U.N. Headquarters.

Shadow lied back on his chair, sleeping. Rouge had popcorn in her hand, tossing it in the air and catching it with her mouth. Omega was playing chess with himself; he briefly moves a hand forward to make a move, but then decides against it.

Suddenly, the door is shoved open. Shadow snores loudly while Rouge fumbles on her popcorn, spilling it on the ground. She scowls at the intruder.

"Thanks," she remarks sarcastically, "I was on my 100th streak, you know."

The G.U.N. Commander steps in and closes the door behind him. "Sorry, but I have urgent news to deliver to you all."

Rouge lies back on her chair and crosses her arms, her eyes halfway closed.

"The Master Emerald is missing." He announces.

Omega suddenly makes a move.

"Double checkmate."

Rouge and Shadow immediately get up and rush towards him, muttering to each other.

"Woah, I didn't think you could do that!" Rouge remarks.

"That's very impressive, nicely done." Shadow compliments.

The Commander clears his throat, trying to get their attention.

"I said, the Master Emerald is missing."

"You really should participate in tournaments; you're really good at this, Omega." Shadow suggests.

Omega turns to him. "You are the only meatbags whom I can tolerate."

"Will any of you listen to me?!" The Commander shouts. The three of them turn around towards him, smiling.

"The Master Emerald is missing and we need you on the case."

"Oh come on." Rouge groans. "Why can't we leave it to Knuckie? He seems to be doing a good job not guarding it."

"G.U.N. doesn't like the idea of leaving a poweful relic in the hands of an impulsive echidna. We're assigning you on the case."

A loud scuffle outside. The group turns to the door. Shouting, screaming.

Suddenly, the door smashes open. Knuckles looks around, huffing in rage. He quickly spots Rouge and points at her.

"Where is it, batgirl?!" He yelled.

Rouge rolls her eyes. "Oh no…" She mutters.

"If you didn't take the Master Emerald, I don't know who did it!"

Rouge stares back at Knuckles. "Sweetie, I wouldn't want your family jewels even if you begged for it."

"I know you took it, thief!" He yelled.

"Did not."

"Did too."

"Did not, and besides, maybe now you can find a real girlfriend." She winks.

"Why you little…"

Knuckles charges at her. Rouge kicks a chair at him which he smashes with his fist. The Commander and Shadow briefly look at each other as Omega tries to separate the two from destroying the office.

* * *

A moment passes while the Commander speaks to Knuckles outside, accompanied by Omega. Shadow gently wipes a cloth with disinfectant to a cut above Rouge's eye. She twitches in pain.

"You really shouldn't provoke him like this." He chastises.

"I can't help it if it's fun." She replies. Shadow rolls his eyes and presses harder on her wound. She squeaks.

"Ow! You're doing this on purpose." She scowls.

The door gently opens and the Commander walks in.

"I've spoken to Knuckles – after he calmed down – and gave me some details. He saw a person taking it whose description fits perfectly to Eggman's."

Shadow and Rouge stare at him in surprise.

"Eggman?" Rouge asks.

"Didn't we get him in our last operation?" Shadow asks.

"Yes, but we haven't recovered any bodies." The Commander continues. "It may be very likely that he's still out there, alive."

Shadow takes a deep breath and sighs. He briefly smiles to himself before hiding it away.

"Where could he be?" He asks.

"We don't know." The Commander sighs. "He was presumed dead after our last attack, and we cleared out all of his bases."

Rouge suddenly gets up and walks to the door. She turns around and salutes. "Leave it to me!" She winks. "I'll be right back." She exits the office.

* * *

Another moment passes. Shadow was sleeping on his chair again while Omega was browsing through a computer.

The door is suddenly bashed open again. Rouge holds a paper above her head, grinning.

"I found him!"

Shadow turns his head to the side.

"No Maria, I don't want any more chocolate…" He mumbles.

Rouge scowls angrily at him and kicks his chair back. Shadow fumbles to not fall.

"I DON'T LIKE WHITE CHOCOLA-" He yells before waking up. He looks around in confusion before noticing Rouge. "-oh. Hey Rouge."

"Wake up, sleepyhead." She looks over at Omega. "Come on Omega, we've got serious business to…"

She glances at his monitor, confused.

"What are you…" She mutters, squinting.

She slowly walks towards him and peeks at the display.

"Sonic the Hedgehog Fanfiction Archi..."

Omega suddenly turns off the monitor, turning his head to Rouge.

"They have very interesting stories." He remarks.

Rouge stares blankly at him for a while before turning back to Shadow.

"I found out where Eggman is hiding." She announces.

"And how did you do that?" Shadow asks.

"I have my sources." Rouge winks. Shadow and Omega stare at each other for a moment.

"Look." She places the paper on a table while Shadow and Omega huddle close around her.

"It seems that we've cleared all of the bases that Eggman used to hide in."

"Oh, thanks," Shadow responds sarcastically, "for a second I thought I had amnesia again."

Rouge scowls at him briefly before looking back at the paper.

"We've checked everywhere, except…" She points to a location written on it. Shadow and Omega look closer to read it.

"Our old G.U.N. HQ?" Shadow asks.

"Yup!" Rouge crosses her arms, proud of her work.

"But why would he hide there?" Omega asks.

"Because none of us would think of checking it." She answers.

"But how could he gain access to-"

"Look, stop asking questions and let's get this over with." She picks up the paper and smiles. "Well? Ready to make an omelet?"

Shadow gawks at her for a second before facepalming.

"Let's go." Omega says. The trio exits the office.


	2. Chapter 2

Rouge crawls in the tight space, trying to make as little noise as possible. She touches her wristwatch.

"Shadow, how are you doing?" She whispers.

Shadow peeks through the metal room, noticing two robots on patrol. He hides back in cover and moves his wristwatch close to his mouth.

"My signal is detecting the Master Emerald nearby." He whispers. "Nothing on my end so far. What about you?"

"I'm currently in the air duct leading to Eggman's quarters." She replies. "I feel kind of bad leaving Omega behind as backup."

"He doesn't make the best stealth operative." Shadow smirks. "Don't worry, he'll be fine."

Rouge continues to crawl forward and notices a vent. She slowly peers through it. A grand office with a red carpet laid below; no one in sight. She quietly picks it open and drops down, surveying the room. She looks at the desk, carved beautifully in bronze. She places her hands on her hips and sighs.

"Wish I had that." She remarks to herself.

"Wish you had what?" A voice asks from behind. Rouge turns around, her eyes widening in surprise.

* * *

Shadow continued forward before spotting a giant door. He looks at his wristwatch; it was displaying a strong signal towards it. He taps on it again.

"Rouge, I think I found where the Master Emerald is." He says.

No response. He looks his watch, confused.

"Rouge, are you there?"

Still no response. He sighs.

"I have to see if it's in here." He mutters to himself. He walks up to the door and slowly opens it. A green streak of light glowed brightly towards him. He gasped in amazement.

The Master Emerald.

It was rotating in a glass cylinder with the controls directly in front of him. He smiles, slowly walking towards it.

"Like taking candy from a..."

Suddenly, an alarm goes off and the door shuts behind him. Shadow turns around, surprised. He rushes to the door, trying to get it open, but to no avail. He spots a vent nearby, slowly leaking with gas.

He begins to grow dizzy, coughing, covering his mouth. He slowly falls to the ground, fainting by the second. He sees a blur of two robots headed towards him. They stood beside him and grabbed him by his legs, slowly dragging him back. He was too weak to resist. He closes his eyes and faints.

* * *

Shadow grunts, slowly opening his eyes again. He spots a figure in front of him, sitting in the dark.

"Ah, Shadow, so glad you're finally awake." The figure says.

Shadow tries to move, unable to do so. He looks at his limbs. They were locked in metal cuffs, tied up in shackles.

"I hope my knockout gas wasn't too strong." He continued.

Shadow struggled from his restraints, unable to break free. He eventually gave in, looking at his captor.

"Doctor? Is that you?" Shadow asked.

The figure chuckles. "Ah Shadow, you're the only one who calls me that anymore."

"Why did you take the Master Emerald?" He asks.

"I needed it to power a certain machine of mine. I've planned this for such a long time…" Eggman stands up and slowly walking up into the light. Shadow gasps.

Eggman had only one side of his moustache.

"You see, after their last attack, G.U.N. snipped off a part of moustache." He carefully pats his injury. "I went into hiding, plotting my next scheme. I thought about my loss of hair, and that's when I had of this brilliant idea…"

Eggman stares back at Shadow and grins.

"…I'm going to make the world bald!" He exclaims. "With the Master Emerald powering my machine, it will generate a liquid that will make everyone lose their hair. I will use it in my conquest, covering the world with it, and then they'll know never to mess with me again."

Shadow stared at Eggman, his jaws wide open.

"What kind of a plan is…"

"Don't question me!" Eggman snaps. "Once enough energy has been syphoned, the world will know my vengeance."

Eggman smiles. "Oh, but I couldn't have stopped you if it wasn't for a friend of yours."

Another figure slowly walks out of the dark. Shadow growls in anger.

"Rouge…"

She smiled playfully, looking at the bound hedgehog.

"Why?" Shadow snarls.

"Eggman doesn't need the Master Emerald after using it," she replied, "so we made a deal: I help him drain its power, and then I keep the emerald."

Shadow scowls at her before closing his eyes, sighing, knowing there was nothing he could do.

Eggman walks up to him and places his hand on Shadow's cheek. Shadow looks up at him.

"Listen, Shadow." Eggman says. "You were created by my grandfather, a man I looked highly upon. I can't bear to hurt you," he sighs, "but I can't let you go free either. I hope you understand."

Eggman slowly turns around and walks towards a door, exiting the room. Shadow sighs in weakness before looking at Rouge. She walks up towards him, smiling.

"What do you want?" He growls at her.

She stops short in front of him, pausing for a moment.

"It wasn't just for the emerald." She says. She places her hands on his hips, gentling stroking them. Shadow felt uneasy, a light shiver running through him. She slowly bends close to his ear.

"Just hang in there." She whispers. Shadow looks at her, confused. She winks at him before turning around to leave. Shadow ponders for a while.

"What is she thinking…?" He mutters to himself.


	3. Chapter 3

A moment passes while Shadow is left alone. He sighs. He hears something slowly approaching him, stomping behind a wall. Shadow turns his head towards it. He hears a weapon being charged, and then firing.

Shadow turns his head away from the blast, coughing from the dust. He looks back at it, gasping in surprise.

"Omega…?"

Omega walks up towards him. He looks at a console nearby and types on it. The cuffs unlock from Shadow's wrists and ankles. He drops on the floor, rubbing on his wrists. He looks up at Omega.

"Rouge told me you'd be here." Omega says.

Shadow looks down and chuckles.

"Always full of surprises, that bat." Shadow mutters to himself.

"We must hurry and find Eggman. Rouge notified G.U.N. and is heading to the Master Emerald."

Shadow pauses for a moment. He then looks up at Omega and nods.

"Alright, let's go find him."

* * *

Rouge enters the room where the Master Emerald is being held. She walks towards the console and pauses.

"Now how do I stop this thing from working…?" She mutters to herself.

She ponders for a second before smiling. She types on the console and looks up at the emerald. It slowly stopped spinning, before emitting a brighter light. Rouge looks at it in concern. She slowly backs away from it as the ground begins to shake.

* * *

Shadow and Omega turn a corner and immediately spot Eggman.

"Eggman!" Omega shouts. Eggman turns around and stares at them in shock.

"Omega? Is that..." He looks at Shadow. "Shadow, you're…"

Omega aims his arm at him, turning it into a cannon. "Prepare to be destroyed."

The ground suddenly shakes around them. The three stumble around, trying to keep their balance. Shadow briefly looks up and notices the ceiling cracking above Eggman. He quickly looks at him, shocked at what's about to happen.

"Doctor!" He yelled.

Shadow ran towards him, shoving him to safety. The ceiling crashes down above him, burying him in debris.

* * *

Rouge ran quickly, dodging the collapsing ceiling, searching for her teammates. The tremor soon died out. She turns around a corner. Her expression turns to horror. Omega slowly dragged Shadow out of the debris, his body lying still.

Rouge rushes next to him, checking for his pulse. She looks at him in fear.

"No…no…"

Omega briefly scans for signs of life.

"No pulse detected."

Rouge looks at Omega, her eyes pleading for help. Omega shakes his head. "Medical procedures were not programmed into me."

Rouge stares back at Shadow, her eyes filled with concern.

Eggman looks at them. He pauses, thinking of what to do. He gives a brief sigh. He slowly walks up towards Shadow and kneels close next to him.

"Step back." He commanded.

Rouge looks at him for a moment before stepping back. Eggman places two hands on Shadow's chest and pushes on it. Again. Again.

It continued like this for a while. Rouge looks at Eggman, expressing sorrow.

"Eggman, it's…"

"No." He snaps back at her. "He's not dead yet. He's not dead."

He began pushing heavily, trying desperately to revive him.

"It's over." Rouge pleads.

"No, it's not!" He yells back. "It's not over, it's…"

Eggman's eyes slowly waters. He thought of his grandfather, how he dedicated his life to science. Shadow was his last creation, the only link left to him.

"Wake up, Shadow."

He began beating Shadow's chest in desperation.

"Wake up!"

He began striking angrily.

"Please...!"

He strikes him as hard as he could. Shadow's eyes shot open, his heart beating lively again. He gasps heavily for air, struggling to breathe. Rouge looks at him, joy erupting within her. She kneels over next to him and rests her hand on his head.

"Shadow, you…"

She growls at him.

"...you nearly gave me a heart attack, you jerk!"

Shadow looks at her for a while, breathing heavily.

"What…"

Rouge closes her eyes, sighing. "The ceiling collapsed on top of you and you fell unconscious. We thought you were dead, but…" Rouge looks up at Eggman. "Eggman saved you."

Shadow turns his head to Eggman.

"Doctor…" He wheezed.

"Don't try to speak," Eggman responded, "your ribs might be broken for all I know."

Shadow looks down, panting. A beeping rings on Rouge's wristwatch.

"Rouge? This is the G.U.N. Commander. We're raiding the base now. Have you found Eggman?"

Rouge pauses for a while. Shadow turns his head to her.

"Let him go." He says.

Omega aims his arm at Eggman. "I will not allow this."

"Omega!" Shadow snaps, coughing. "The doctor saved my life."

"Rouge?" The Commander asks.

Rouge looks at Omega, who looks down to Shadow. He knew he wouldn't forgive him if Omega didn't do so. Omega looks back at Eggman, lowering his weapon.

"Next time, I will not hesitate to destroy you."

Rouge sighs in relief. "This is Rouge. We found the Master Emerald; no Eggman in sight."

Eggman looks over to Shadow. "Stay safe, okay?"

Shadow nods. Eggman slowly stands up.

* * *

"I'm sorry. It was fun being with you guys and gals, but I'm afraid I have to go."

He slowly turns around and leaves.


End file.
